OUR STORY
Discover the inspiring tale of Heidi Tonero, the visionary behind Lifecation, as she shares her remarkable journey of embracing a life of adventure and crafting the extraordinary lifecation lifestyle. Delve into her story and learn how she fearlessly pursued her dreams, defying conventions to create a life that celebrates freedom, exploration, and boundless possibilities.
My Lifecation seed was planted on July 7, 2014, launching itself from my head and landing on the pages of my journal.
As a publisher for a local magazine in New Jersey, I was doing research for an article I was writing about alternative education. While pulling yet another all-nighter to meet my print deadline (yes, print), I stumbled upon a family’s travel blog. They sold their house and all their possessions, bought an RV, and embarked on a life of freedom and travel, educating their 3 children on the road, a concept they called "roadschooling."
In 2014, this kind of free-wheeling lifestyle was rare, radical, and revolutionary.
Keep in mind, this was long before covid awakened us to the fact that daily life could, in fact, be lived according to a different set of boundaries and often, with no boundaries at all.
School didn’t have to be done in a brick building run by the government.
Work didn’t have to be done from 9-5 in building with a commute. Work didn’t even have to look like work anymore.
Dreams turned into reality for many, as our priorities and possibilities were accidentally unearthed by a virus that opened our minds by locking up our lives.
Before covid, we simply accepted the picket fence protocol and played by the rules. But long before covid, I craved something else - something deeper and more meaningful to me.
I wanted to Be The Exception. Break The Rules.
I was captivated by this RV travel lifestyle, but two aspects resonated deeply with me: freedom and family. I was electrified by the thought of making such a bold decision - selling everything…freely traveling and living in an RV, leaving behind our home and community, in order to radically honor my deepest values. Freedom and Family.
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At that time, my oldest daughter was 14 and happened to be working on a school project, pulling an all-nighter alongside me. We explored that family’s blog together, reading, scrolling, laughing, and wondering. Chloe turned to me and whispered in wonder, "Oh my God, Mom, could we ever do something like that?" Initially, I dismissed her suggestion with my words, but deep down, a seed had been planted. I replied, "Oh no, honey. Don't be ridiculous. Our lives are here, our house, family, church, school, sports. Those people are completely crazy, and we're only 87.5% crazy.". I underestimated my own crazy quotient.
That night, I opened my journal and titled my entry "Jesus Take The Wheel." Thoughts poured onto the paper faster than my hand could write. I contemplated what truly mattered to me and the significance of having the freedom to travel, live, love, and learn with my children. I realized that once my oldest daughter moved out of our home, our family dynamic would change forever, and this precious time of living together would never be the same. The years before our children launch into adulthood are invaluable and irreplaceable. So I began contemplating the possibility of undertaking this radical lifestyle change in order to honor what mattered most to me - Freedom and Family.
For over a year, I couldn't shake these thoughts of creating a life completely outside the norm and hitting the road with my kids. Countless hours were spent researching RVs, motorhomes, homeschooling, unschooling, and everything in between.
I created the brand name "Lifecation" in 2014, during one of my brainstorming sessions, encapsulating the essence of this intentional, boundary-breaking lifestyle. The concept of designing your life in such a way that it takes on all the best things about a vacation was the driving force at that time.
What do we love about vacations? It allows us the freedom to enjoy what matters most.
Why do we segregate that practice into brief periods of vacation? Why can’t we do that every day of our lives? We can.
The immediate reaction to that question is to make excuses about work and money and obligations and burdens that prevent the possibility of living a Lifecation. But that’s exactly what they are: excuses. So many people have said to me, “You’re so lucky you get to live like this” and my response is always this, “It isn’t luck, it is the result of defining what mattered most to me, throwing away excuses, and deciding to take action”.
I took an inventory of my heart and my priorities and put it down on paper. Then I compared it with my schedule and my budget because that is the only true way to evaluate where I spend my most precious resources: my time and my money.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:21
What I found was disturbing and inspiring, all at the same time. The list in my journal of the things most precious to my heart and my highest priorities were not reflected in the reality of where I placed my treasure. That was a punch to the gut and something I knew deep down inside, but just ignored. With my hypocrisy staring me in the face, I decided to do something.
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So, I did what I usually do—I envisioned, journaled, planned, and researched. I immersed myself in learning about RVing and educating children outside of traditional schools. I reached out to the bloggers and found communities of families already living their own version of Lifecation, on the road in RVs. I had conversations with other moms who had taken the leap into this lifestyle. Their experiences reinforced my belief that this was part of God's plan for my family.
In September 2015, once I completed my due diligence and knew without a doubt that the children were enthusiastically on board, I took the first step that everyone must take in the creation of anything new: I decided.
We were going to design and live a Lifecation - investing our time and treasure where it mattered most to us: Freedom and Family.
Immediately, Operation Lifecation shifted into high gear. It was no small feat to work out the logistics, take the necessary steps to sell the home and all of our possessions, buy an RV and a truck suitable for towing it, withdraw my children from school and activities, and manage all the details of daily life. It was a monumental undertaking, but with a clear vision and unwavering commitment, anything is possible.
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Thankfully, I've never been afraid of failure. I view it as evidence of the courage to pursue something and the humility to learn from valuable mistakes. When deciding whether to take the leap into our Lifecation, I followed my usual process. I looked at the worst-case scenario and assessed if the risk was worth the reward or cost. In this case, I believed that even if the worst happened, we would have had a brief adventure, created lasting memories, and then returned to New Jersey, selling the RV and finding a new home.
The risk of that worst-case scenario was worth the potential reward of a life filled with freedom, adventure, learning, and love. We would travel all over this beautiful country, going where we wanted, when we wanted, together. Freedom Found.
So, on May 13, 2016, after nine months of purging, purchasing, and preparing, we gave birth to our Lifecation and hit the road. We traveled full-time in an RV for about four years, and we wouldn't trade those experiences for anything in the world.
Our journey was filled with countless memories, mishaps, breakdowns, conflicts, bonds, laughter, and tears. Interestingly, it was the people we met along the way who left the deepest impressions on our hearts. My children grew up on the road, intimately connected with each other, and gained a perspective that goes beyond the limitations of a "normal" life that was prescribed by the picket fence protocol.
They learned by living and experienced an abundance of life's offerings.
Embarking on our Lifecation in 2016, we defied convention and discovered a life of freedom, adventure, and boundless learning. Despite challenges and doubters, we embraced the extraordinary, creating lasting memories and deep connections. Our journey taught us the power of following our passions, cherishing the unconventional, and living life on our own terms.
We owned our days.
We wandered intentionally.
We were made for more.
Lifecation is not about traveling full time or living in an RV, road schooling, or remote work. Those were simply the tools we used to live a life that honored what mattered most. Those tools have changed over the years, but the foundational concept of Lifecation remains the same.
May our Lifecation story inspire you to take your own heart inventory, evaluate where you invest your time and treasure, define your freedom, design your dreams, and decide to live a life that honors what matters most.
There are simple decisions you can make every day to put your treasure where your heart is.
Because you can.
Your day. Your way.
Be The Exception. Break The Rules.
Go Big or Go Home.
Freedom Found.